Rita
by rosemusic20
Summary: Robin attempts to confront her feelings about Barney by retelling the story of the night he decided he was done.


"Can I ask you for some advice? So I have this friend, I don't want to tell you her name because if I do and you know them that would just be super awkward for everyone. Let's call my friend. . . Rita. Yeah, that seems good. Anyway, so _Rita_ has this. . . friend I guess you could call him. And he. . . I will be referring to him as Bart. Where was I? Oh yeah I hadn't really started. By the way thanks for listening I really need to get this of my chest. Okay so um I- _Rita_ and Bart are really close friends. They have been for the longest time. But there is this thing between them. Forgive me, I am really bad at talking about my feelings. Let me just try to tell you what happened from the beginning. They met through her boyfriend. . . Toby! Rita and Toby dated for a while, but their life goals clashed with each other and. . . well that didn't work out. So then they broke up but stayed friends. Then Bart and Rita had what _should_ have been a harmless hook up and ended up leading to an eventual relationship. It was great but the problem was neither of us. . . them were ready for each other yet so they broke up. And after they got over their post break up stage everything went back to the way it was supposed to be. There was a short period of time where Rita thought she was in love with Bart. . . But then she started dating her therapist and everything was great. I realize it is sort of weird for someone to date there former therapist but she did eventually break up with him. So time went on, there was this one hook up where they almost got back together but she chickened out and. . . Eventually Rita broke up with her Therapist. Everything was great, and not awkward at all. They both met other people and completely got over each other. Then Bart broke up with his fiance, but he still didn't have feelings for me. Or at least I don't think he did. But here is the problem, over the past few weeks, there have been some. . . moments where she sort of wanted him back again. Like when, in the process of helping her break up with her new boyfriend N. . .oah, he gave this super long speech about how much he loved her. Do you think he meant it. . ? You don't have to answer. There is more. They kissed. I mean they were super drunk and their judgment was obscured, but it was still a kiss. It was super weird and for like a week afterwards they pretended it hadn't happened. And I figured, or rather hoped, that when we- they finally got around to talking about it, I would have my feelings in order and I would be able to tell him what the kiss meant to. . . _her_. So she kept avoiding him until finally, literally hours ago, he initiated a conversation about it. And she was flipping out about talking to him. But it turned out to be a super easy conversation in which he did most of the talking, explaining how he was going to stop trying to _get _me. . . Her. I am talking about Rita still, not myself. And he made her laugh and there wasn't an awkward silence. And she knew that neither of them would ever be mature enough to make this relationship work. But then he got up to get us some drinks, and she realized that he had just done something so mature. And it became clear that Barney wasn't the one running away from _us_, I was. . . I mean Barry or Bart or whatever. And he kept saying how he was done making a fool of himself! But what if he wasn't making a fool out of himself? We spent the rest of the night hanging out and laughing and just being friends. But the whole time I kept noticing how much he has changed. . . and how much I haven't. . . And then I started thinking that maybe I might be ready for a relationship with him now. So, is it too late? Is. . . _Rita_ setting herself up for heartbreak by going after Bart?" I sighed and gazed at my hands, which were frantically twirling my brown hair to the point that it was almost in a knot. After a few seconds I slowly looked back up at the person I was talking to.

The stranger's eyes were wide with shock and confusion. I was sitting next to her on the bus ride back from hanging out at the bar with Barney. My eyes drooped from the exhaustion of a physically and emotionally trying day. The short, curly haired, Hispanic woman I had just poured my heart out to clutched her purse tightly. She seemed almost frightened of me. I suddenly realized that I not greeted her or anything before launching into a complicated description of my problems. But to be honest, I didn't really care. Maybe I had one too many scotches. The bus came to a halt at some stop.

"You know what, it doesn't really matter. Because even if going after Bart wouldn't be completely hopeless, she is too scared to do it anyway. She is scared of how much she likes him. I mean she is basically head over heels in love with him but she doesn't really like that part of herself because it is too vulnerable and- hey wait!" The lady was getting off of the bus. I started to say something but then slumped back into my seat. "I wasn't really talking about a friend." I said quietly to myself, turning to stare out the window at the passing buildings.


End file.
